The Boat House

The Boat house was built in memory of my Grandad. When he retired from the Navy, he spent his retirement hand building scale working model boats which he sailed in competitions. After he passed, his boats were left in cupboards and attics and were unappreciated and collecting dust. He was also an engineer and a hoarder, a lot of the shed was built using materials found in his old workshop plus 253 old shipping pallets. It is now a space that the whole family can enjoy and appreciate the beauty of what he left us and remember him. It is used by the two youngest members of the family as a play space, I use it as an office and the family often gathers for Sunday roast and a game of cards.

I spent 4 months building the boat house and ended up taking apart 253 pallets to create the external cladding and internal flooring. The building is a triangular shape to fit the awkward shape of the garden. Its built on a suspended timber frame base with 32 buckets used to hold the concrete for the base posts. The front deck has hidden under floor storage for garden tools and the whole building cost ﾣ5000 to construct. The building contains features such as a chair upcycled from an old wooden ladder, boat rope room dividers, mezzanine level/sleeping area for the kids. A Starry night ceiling - The roof section over the kids space has 50m of fairy lights organized to create 52 different constellations of the the stars. Hidden storage space, a chalkboard wall and lots of family memorabilia.